The definition used here encompasses any parent of a child younger than 18 who has not worked for pay in the prior year, regardless of the reason, and regardless of their marital status or the employment status of their spouse or partner. This is particularly true of mothers: A quarter of those home to care for family are in poverty, compared with 41% of those home for other reasons. (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. By contrast, close observers of American family life may think stay-at-home moms are more common among the poor. The share of dads at home rose from 4% to 7%, while the share of moms staying at home remained largely unchanged – 27% in 2016 versus 28% about a quarter-century earlier. Nearly half of the stay-at-home mothers have a high school diploma or less, compared with 30 percent of working mothers, and 34 percent of stay-at-home moms are living in poverty, compared with 12 percent of working mothers. (By comparison, 8% of working dads and 9% of working moms are living in poverty.). Interestingly among Millennial dads, 6% were home with their children in 2016, compared with 3% of Gen X fathers when they were a comparable age. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Not 6 percent — six men, in the entire country. Over the years, there have been fluctuations of the rate of stay-at-home parenting. Their numbers have almost doubled, … More stay-at-home dads among Millennials than among Gen X. Stay-at-home mom … Moms are NOT more important than Dads. Dads are important. The stay-at-home share of U.S. parents was almost identical to what it was in 1989, but there has been a modest increase among fathers. While the share of stay-at-home fathers is higher among Millennials, they share who are home specifically to care for their family rose modestly: 23% of Gen X stay-at-home fathers around 2000 said they were home to care for family, compared with 26% of Millennial stay-at-home dads today. A 2013 Pew Research Center survey found that while 51 percent of Americans think a child is better off with a … Pew wonders if that has anything to do with the fact that nearly twice as many stay-at-home dads, compared to stay-at-home moms, are over the age of 40. In addition, both mothers and fathers who stay at home to care for family are far more likely than those at home for other reasons to have a working spouse. Last year, by contrast, an estimated 1.9 million fathers remained home with the kids — accounting for 16 percent of the stay-at-home parent population, according to a HuffPost analysis of U.S. Census data. The modest increase is apparent even after excluding those who were home due to unemployment. Stay-at-home-dad families also earned about $11,000 less in the past decade than families where the mother did not work outside the home. But the numbers from a 2014 Pew Research study do show that the number of women who are becoming stay-at-home moms has risen. Around 2000, the share of stay-at-home moms hit a low of 23%, and the overall share of stay-at-home parents dipped to 15%. For a moment, can you put aside your own emotions and feelings and step into the shoes of the other person? Interestingly among Millennial dads, 6% were home with their children in 2016, compared with 3% of Gen X fathers when they were a comparable age. It’s no longer a ‘Leave It to Beaver’ world for American families – but it wasn’t back then, either, How American parents balance work and family life when both work, What Biden and Trump voters say they want the other candidate’s supporters to know about them. 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